There are many methods of reducing the moisture content of sludges and slurries containing organic material including filtering using filter presses, heating or chemical treatment or applying partial vacuums. A major concern when using heat and a partial vacuum to dehydrate materials is the high temperature to which the material is heated while exposing the material to an optimum vacuum level. In addition the high temperatures involved tend to reduce or destroy the fertile quality of the end product. In addition, prior art proposals are often suited only to dehydration of batches of sludge as opposed to a continuous process suitable for the mass production of a benign particulate end product.